On the Outside Looking In
by robinscorpiofan
Summary: Why is Jade West so mean? Why is Beck Oliver so emotionless? Why does Cat Valentine act so stupid? Why is everything Tori Vega does perfect? Why does Robbie Shapiro carry around a puppet? Why is Trina Vega so obsessed with being popular? Why does Andre Harris do everything his insane grandmother tells him? Hints of Bade.
1. Chapter 1

**Trina**

A flurry of students, some with only a backpack, others with musical instruments, were crowded outside. Some of them were making bets on who would _actually_ be in show business. Everyone knew that just because you attended Hollywood Arts High School didn't mean that you were necessarily going to be famous.

Among these was a brunette girl, dressed in a sparkly white tank top and pink jean shorts. She wore four inch heels and an expensive purse was slung over her arm. She was a freshman and didn't know anyone.

She pushed her way through the massive amounts of people and entered the school. A rush of happiness and the thought _I finally made it_ went through her as she stared at the colorfully decorated lockers.

"Hi." She looked into the eyes of a tall boy with black hair and bright green eyes. "Freshman?" she nodded. "I'm a sophomore. Chad."

"Trina." She shook his outstretched hand. "So, what's your talent?"

"I'm an actor." He replied with a cocky grin. "I get a lot of the lead roles."

"Cool." She smiled. "I'm a singer."

"Really? Can you sing me something?"

Trina opened her mouth and started to sing, wincing at the sound that came out.

For as long as she could remember, Trina had trouble breathing, especially at night. That summer (after already being accepted into Hollywood Arts), she had gotten surgery to fix that problem. Unfortunately, it ended up damaging her vocal cords. Now, she had a nasally sounding voice and couldn't sing to save her life.

"Wow." Chad gave her a strange look. "I hope you were kidding because there's no way you got into this school with that voice."

Trina glared at him. "I suggest you leave now. I can find _plenty_ of guys here that will appreciate my talent."

Chad laughed. "Yeah…good luck with that." He turned and walked away.

He would regret saying she was untalented. She would prove him wrong and then he would see.

**Robbie**

"_Your…your brother is gone, son." _

Robbie Shapiro could still clearly remember the day he had lost his twin brother. The two of them had been playing outside, seeing who could shoot the most baskets in the basketball hoop in their pool. Robbie had run in to go to the bathroom. That was the last time he ever saw Rex alive.

Apparently, he had fallen into the pool and couldn't get back up. Robbie still found that shocking; Rex, the older twin by four minutes, had always been the best at everything. How could he not _swim_?

He pulled away from everything then. He couldn't stand going back to life how it was without his brother by his side. They were in the sixth grade and had always been the best of friends. Without Rex, Robbie had no one.

That summer, his parents sent him away to his Aunt Trudy's house, saying _'you need to go back to how you were, Rob. There's no point in just moping around'_. They didn't know he saw his father's alcohol stash or that he saw his mother taking pills. They were allowed to numb their pain, but no, he couldn't grieve for his twin, his _other half_.

Aunt Trudy's husband, Uncle Phil, was the one who introduced him to ventriloquism. He had a puppet named Bert that was constantly perched on his arm. Robbie became fascinated with the things his uncle could do.

"_Hey Rob! I've got something for you!"_ He had come into the living room to see a long, white box sitting on the table. Robbie reached for the lid, pulling it off easily.

Inside was a puppet with wild brown hair, jeans, a little pair of gym shoes, and a dark green shirt on. Robbie had hugged his uncle, thanking him profusely.

That night, when he was alone in his bed, Robbie got the puppet out. He started to speak the way Uncle Phil had taught him.

"_Hey Rob, why is there a mop in here? Oh wait, that's your hair!"_

_Robbie just laughed. "It's good to see you again, Rex." _

**Andre**

"Andre! There's another me in here!" Andre Harris sighed and stood, going to his grandmother's room.

"It's just a mirror, Grandma."

"A mirror?" before he could stop her, she had smashed the glass, cutting her hand open in the process.

"Come on, I'll clean you up."

A lot of people didn't understand why he put up with her. A normal teenager wouldn't listen to the psychotic rambling that came out of his grandmother's mouth. But they didn't understand.

As a child, Andre was constantly at his grandmother's side. He was her little sidekick, fetching her sewing kit for her or taste testing her chocolate chip cookies. While his mother was at work, he would go to her house. At the end of every day, he sat in the backseat, waving enthusiastically to her and already planning what he would do tomorrow.

All of that changed when he turned seven years old. One day on the way to work, his mother was involved in a car accident on the highway that killed her and two other people. He could still remember sitting in class, practicing his cursive when his grandma burst in, telling him he had to go home.

His grandmother's sewing room was turned into his bedroom and she devoted her whole life to her grandson. It was probably around that time she went crazy. She was constantly worried about making sure she did everything perfectly so Andre wouldn't end up dead like her daughter.

But no matter what, she never gave him away. Not when his paternal grandfather came over, threatening to sue for custody. Not when Andre lashed out at school and got in fights. His grandmother would just hold him in her arms and say, _"Oh Andre, I'm so happy to have you in my life."_

So when she hid under her bed because she thought she heard voices, he would help her out.

When she freaked out because the phone was ringing and smashed it, he would go buy another one.

When she saw his friends on a webcam and thought it was the government watching her, he would explain to her what really happened.

And when she broke mirrors because they scared her, he would pick up the pieces.

She had always taken care of Andre, and now it was his turn to take care of her.

**Tori**

The first time Tori looked in the mirror after her surgery was when she considered her life to begin. Before, she had just been Tori Vega- the fat girl. But now, she was Tori Vega- the star.

She had never tried to sing before; that was always Trina's thing. Then, one day in the car while she was singing along to her favorite song, her father told her _"Wow Tor, you're almost as good as your sister!"_

But she didn't want to be _almost as good_. She was sick of being compared to Trina. Trina was the pretty one, the talented one. She was just Tori, the ugly, 200 pound one.

So she spent her whole summer after seventh grade begging her parents to let her get some surgery. Finally, after three months, her mother gave in. She took her to a plastic surgeon to get a consult. Tori immediately agreed to what the doctor suggested.

Six months later, she was beautiful. She was skinny, she had a new nose, her cheekbones were higher, and she was a lot more confident. As Tori's life got better, Trina's got worse. The younger Vega couldn't help but be a little happy about her sister's failure.

Who was the star now?

**Beck**

Everyone thought that he had it all. He was handsome, his parents had money, and he could act. He was in a few commercials in elementary school, which gained him popularity among his peers. But that was just the view from the outside.

At home, his older sister Stephanie was only 16 and pregnant. His parents screamed at her day and night, begging her to give the baby up for adoption. They didn't want to 'trash the Oliver name'.

Beck would hide in his room and blare his music trying to block it all out. But eventually, even his favorite song couldn't disguise the fights going on in the room next door.

That's when his mother got sick. At first, she was just tired all the time. A trip to the hospital and a couple dozen tests revealed why- she had cancer. She was admitted and put in a private room and started on chemo.

His father spent most nights at the hospital and Stephanie would go to her boyfriend's house, so Beck was usually alone. He would sit on his knees by his bed, praying that his mother would recover and that his parents would forgive his sister.

At the time his nephew Ty was born, his mother gave up. She decided she didn't want to continue the chemo.

"_Mom, please! You can't give up. You might not want to live for yourself, but live for me!"_

He had cried for three days straight, begging her to start treatment. She didn't listen to his pleas and she died nearly a week later.

Beck knew he had to toughen up. Crying hadn't gotten him anywhere and he surely wasn't going to waste his tears on his mother since she hadn't cared enough to be there for him.

So when his father screamed until he was blue in the face, forcing Stephanie and her baby out, he didn't even blink. Nothing mattered anymore. He wasn't worth fighting for, so why even try?

His grades plummeted and his relationship with his dad was strained. He was about ready to give up, but then everything changed.

He started at Hollywood Arts (an attempt from his dad to make up for his mom basically killing herself). On the first day, he met a girl named Jade West.

That day, he found his reason to keep living.

**Cat**

"_Caterina, what are you doing in my room?" _

_Seven year old Cat trembled. "I was looking for candy, Daddy." _

_He snatched the bright orange bottle with a label she couldn't read out of her hand. "Oh, so you were snooping? Don't tell nobody about my pills. Got it?"_

"_B…But pills aren't good for you all the time." She stated matter-of-factly. _

_He slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground. "Neither is being a smart little girl."_

The students at Hollywood Arts didn't understand how someone like Cat, who acted so stupid, could have some of the best grades in the school. To them, she was just a bimbo. They didn't think she could understand what they were saying about her, or how they were making fun of her.

But she could.

Cat Valentine knew better than to speak up; all she would end up with was a black eye. Speaking out got you in trouble. Being smart got you in trouble.

So she kept everything to herself. All her thoughts, her observations. Everything. Because as long as they thought she was stupid, they wouldn't know that she _did_ hear the way people made fun of her. She _did_ understand the big words her teachers would use, though they would come over to her and try to break it down. She _did_ see the way guys would look at her and _knew_ that they think she's just another easy girl.

But she's not.

Cat didn't take risks, not anymore. She would never risk being in a relationship, or really even talking to a guy. They could find out her secret and that would earn her quite the beating from her father. If anyone ever knew that Caterina Valentine wasn't just the ditzy girl with the red velvet cupcake colored hair, she would be in a world of trouble.

And she was too smart to act smart.

**Jade**

Jade West's first memory is from when she was five years old. She was sitting on the stairs near her bedroom door, listening to her parents arguing downstairs. She was wearing a light purple nightgown and a stuffed lamb was in her arms.

"_Oh no, I am not getting stuck with the kid!"_

"_Well I don't want her!" _

"_If you're leaving this marriage, then you're taking her with you!"_

Even at that age, she knew that her parents were talking about her. They didn't want her and felt burdened by having to take care of her. That was the day everything changed.

Jade ran to her room, ripping the pink butterfly blankets off of her bed. She threw anything she could reach- mostly picture frames. She opened up her arts and crafts drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors. She smiled slightly as she opened and closed them.

Ten minutes later, any picture of her with her parents had been shredded. Jade tucked the scissors into her drawer next to her bed. She went to her closet and pulled out a black throw blanket, putting it on top of herself, smiling at the destruction around her.

Apparently her father had lost the fight on who would keep her, because her mother left the next day and she never saw her again. Jade knew that her father hated her; he always had. He had wanted a son and was disappointed by the fact that she was a girl. So instead of actually looking after his only child, he put a credit card into her hand and let her run wild.

Jade started to rebel at the age of 12. She walked to the drug store, bought a box of black hair dye, and changed her hair from its natural brown. At 13, she got colorful extensions to add. When she was 14, she snuck into a tattoo parlor and lied about her age so she could get her eyebrow pierced. That was the same year that she started to date Beck Oliver, Hollywood Art's most handsome boy. At 15, she got a tattoo of a star on her wrist which just made people more judgmental of her.

It seemed that the only question that any of the kids at school had was _Why is a hottie like Beck dating a freak like Jade?_

Jade didn't even have the answer for this. Since she was five years old, she had known that no one wanted her and that her life was just a problem. So she resorted to sarcastic remarks, dirty looks, and hateful words to cover up the pain she felt. Because inside, she was still that little girl on the stairs with her stuffed lamb, praying that one of her parents would just say _I want Jade. I love her._

She earned a reputation as the mean girl, but it didn't matter to her because everyone knew she was the best singer in the school. And when the new girl, Tori 'Little-Miss-Perfect' Vega started at Hollywood Arts, people didn't think she was as talented anymore.

After dumping coffee onto her head, Beck pulled her aside and asked why she always had to be so mean and jealous and always overreact.

"_Why do you love me?" Jade had asked, staring into his dark brown eyes. _

_Beck dropped the current subject, knowing this was more important. "Because…you're you." _

And in that moment, it didn't matter that everyone in school was scared of her. It didn't matter that her mother had left and never looked back. It didn't matter that her father thought his credit card was enough of a parent for her. Right now, in Beck's arms, she knew that she was loved and wanted.

Maybe she didn't have to be so mean after all.

**So this is my first Victorious story. I'm not really sure that I like it. **

**I have a lot more Victorious stories and I think all of them revolve around Bade. Some of them may be coming soon. **

**Review?**


	2. Please Read

Hey everyone! Sorry if you thought this was an update, but I have news regarding all of my stories!

I have started a new website called That's Life. It's going to be where my new story is going to be posted, along with all of my others. From now on, I think I will be updating my stories more frequently on there than on here. It's just easier for me. Unfinished stories on here, and sequels to finished ones will be posted on there and updated before on here.

For those of you that are fans of **Victorious** or **One Tree Hill**, I have a lot more exciting things coming for both of these categories! I have **TONS** of things written that I haven't gotten around to posting that will be put in a special category on the new website! Please check them out, even if you're not a General Hospital fan. While you're at it, read That's Life! You don't necessarily have to be a GH fan to understand what is happening and it's good, I promise!

If you're a fan of my story **Convenience** (if you've forgotten, it's the one where Sam and Jason have twins named Emmy and Lily who they never knew were twins, and then they get sick and bring everyone back together), make sure you sign up on my That's Life website because that is next in line to be updated!

If you're a fan of my story **Secrets** (the ridiculously dramatic story with Sam and Jason's daughter Sofia), the sequel **Lies Untold** is being worked on and it will eventually be posted there!

If you liked my story **The Right Life** (Jason married Elizabeth, Sam and Jason have a daughter named Olivia, and in the end, they end up getting custody of Cameron and Jake), the sequel is now being written and I will post it there soon!

If you are a fan of **Last Kiss** (which let's face it, there aren't many), I will be posting it there **only if people express interest in what happens!**

If you were a fan of my writing back when it was Scrubs instead of JaSam, let me know and I will try and write some more!

If you liked **Before Mattie** (story focusing on Robin, Sam, Lulu, Carly, Elizabeth, and some others and they have babies at the same time, Robin's is named Mattie), I will consider posting a sequel if anyone wants it! It was always my original plan to have a story called **Mattie**, but then I decided to do a sort of prequel thing, which turned out to be Before Mattie.

If you read **First Comes Love** (not many people have, or if they did, they didn't review, but it's about basically the whole cast, or at least the important people, and their families), there was always a plan to make a sequel called **Second Comes Marriage**. If anyone would like to read it, I am willing to **make it more current and add in other GH characters that are newer now**.

For any Claudia, Carly, and Sonny fans, I am willing to update **A Shadow of a Memory**, but it will **only be updated on That's Life**.

If you are a fan of **Hope**, **Moving On**, **Lies**, **Take Me out of The Rain**, **Take My Hand**, **Tears From the Heart**, **The Family Life**, or **You Choose**, these stories have barely even started! I will **take requests on what you want updated** and I will try and finish every single one of these!

If you like **The Kids** (story where Sam has like nine kids with different guys and there's some crazy custody battles and all that), I don't know it because I always felt that story never really got reviewed. That was one of my favorites before and I am willing to update it but only on That's Life.

If you read the TL Oneshots **After the Rain** and **You Can Change your Title, But Not Your Story**, you will definitely love this!

So you see, it would really benefit you to go to **That's Life** and just check it out! Who knows, you might even enjoy the story That's Life, which is **my best yet!** For those of you who don't know, it is a story focusing on a new generation of Port Charles characters, meaning practically all of the characters on GH now had children and they are ruling the town! It will focus primarily on Sam and Jason's three teenagers- Emma, Gabe, and Maddie, along with Carly and Jax's kids Courtney and Connor, Maxie and Matt's daughter Chloe J, Claudia and Sonny's kids Zack and Hunter, Sonny and Brenda's daughter Brittany, Robin and Patrick's son Nate, Emily and Nikolas's daughter Paige, and Steve and Olivia's daughter Mia. **I can assure you that if you like at least one character on General Hospital, you will LOVE this story. **It is my favorite one I have ever written, even more than The Right Life or Secrets!

Please go check it out, sign up and make an account, and you will get all the benefits! The website is posted on my profile in case it doesn't work right here, but I'll try it anyway:

** Thats_ ?**

All of the above mentioned stories are on my profile, go **READ AND REVIEW** if you haven't yet! Feel free to message me with any questions or concerns regarding anything that has to do with the That's Life website, or any of my stories! Thank you!


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